The Grimoire of Sin
The Grimoire of Sin is a collection of leaked anti-virtues that seem to wholly oppose the workings of the Book of Kraus. Unlike the latter tome of rules and restrictions, this individual text focuses more upon the belief that devilish behavior is inherently bound to humanity, and works to convince and persuade that the very nature of Man is to seek out power for oneself and betray another in the process. The Grimoire pertains not to the Divine War or otherwise, seeming to instead concentrate on mortal depravity and Occultism. The propaganda, of a sort, is spread by means of messenger - each carrier bears blackened sclera that glow with the essence of death imbued far within. It seems they are not long to live, obviously enough, provided they die soon after delivering their due payload, though one would find them to be peculiar amalgamations of humanity and monster akin. The more experienced could claim these tales to belong to the fabled Diabolicon, though that's only rumor... The Seven Deadly Sins A primary focus of the Grimoire is to detail the specific components of each of the Seven. In a Krausite's ideal eyes, these Sins are to be washed away, and it is as such that they are duly reinforced by the text's tales. It proceeds to explain from the perspective of an example of each, lost to the gradual methods of time but with their words and teachings solidified. ---- The Teachings of Pride "... and for those who would resist me? They have yet to understand my worth." * Oneself is always to be the focus of the mind. ** Others' safety and being are not to be regarded. * It is the soul of Man to perceive oneself as superior to another. In perspective, you are strongest. You wield the only opinion worth counting. * Mercy is a demonstration of weakness; a demonstration of believing that oneself is below another. ** Mercy is never to be practiced, even in the most select of scenarios. It must never be shown, or you shall be cast from superiority and submit to the desires of Kraus and his minions. The Teachings of Wrath "It is I who would see their kingdoms dominated, for their existence beyond my control is fault in and of itself." * Forgiveness is a folly of the mind. ** Repentance for any sort of crime against you is to be disregarded wholly, for the perpetrator in question might only repay debts by way of another's - your - punishment. * Strength is boundless, restrained only by beliefs of those same restraints. * Rage is an empowerment of the body, mind, and soul, and evidence that there is yet further room to expand. * All that others retain is means for them to be brutalized. ** If resistance to your efforts is provided, then the most extreme of extents are naught but necessary. Only the utmost punishment might resolve the soul of one who seeks to harass you. The Teachings of Greed "... and with my castles of gold shall I garner yet further a profit; and shall any oppose, their being, too, shall be drawn into my own." * The belongings of another are your own. ** There is no 'reasonable' length at which one must halt the abduction of formerly unowned objects or entities. For as long as one lives, there is always more to obtain. * Whatever virtues exist in-mind must be cast aside, for theft or murder are little in the face of the slightest portion of furthered value. ** If an occasion provides itself wherein you question this ideal, it is all that more important to capture whatever it is that caused the quandary so that it might be yours. If it is significant enough to force mental distress, then any question of its worth is immediately answered. The Teachings of Envy "... but their attributes, those are what caught my eye; and I said, 'I must have them,' and it was duly as such." * It is by default that another will inevitably find themselves with a sense of superiority to your ownself, despite the aforementioned principles. ** It is by default, as well, that those same attributes are your own. It is because they flaunt themselves that they must be reduced in ego, such that your own superiority is restored to its former status. * In the case that you feel insecure of your own values, it is critical to reduce those abound to a state of neutrality or less. You must be certain that they are an underling and that they will remain so. *Whilst in the presence of an evident superior - one who might take the longest of ages to personally corrupt - efforts must be taken in order to bring their world down around them. If you cannot destroy them individually, it is far easier a challenge, then, to force them against themselves. The Teachings of Gluttony "They made an effort to restrain my hungering for indulgence, though I found pleasure in even their tortures. After all, it only prolonged their devouring." * Pain is meant only to distance you from pleasure. Faith in eventual indulgence must be maintained through the most dire of situations. ** Suffering is also a means of amplifying those same joys. The longer it must be endured, the sweeter the result. ** Masochism is not wholly encouraged, for the open worship of defeat is a certain weakness; however, to find pain a null sensation is a certain strength. * Indulgence is primary. The hungers that gurgle from within must command your mind. These primal urges are the utmost of importance, and any who would stand before you and the joyousness of yet another meal are only offering themselves as substitute. * Find yourself torn as a result of the sever torment you might inflict upon another whilst devouring them, and you find yourself sorely weakened, as well. Sadism is critical. If pleasure is too distant to imagine, then take from the suffering of those abound a plentiful supply of the happiness you so crave. The Teachings of Lust "For whatever reason, the fools presumed I was satiable. They thought their mortal selves capable of absolving my desire - their corpses proved them false." * Much akin to the Teachings of Gluttony, Lust pertains to pleasure, though less-so from the likes of sadism and such but rather self-indulgence. * Others are servants. Lessers, obviously, but something more for those who find themselves afflicted with lewd sinfulness. They work to suit your greatest needs, and if they do not do so happily, they are hardly worth their existence. * Human nature is that of which finds itself doomed to fall to attractiveness. The warmest, healthiest-looking mates will see themselves capable of great influence and manipulation. With the slightest word shall you prove capable of swaying minds for the better or for the worse. ** There is no shame, of course, in finding yourself reliant upon vanity, so long as it is viewed as a tool. Your tool. Being used by another for any purposes beside your own - for their purposes, that is - shows weakness. You are in command. Sexual desire is a weapon, but one that you must wield, not another. The Teachings of Sloth "... but, of course, I found it hardly worthwhile to entertain them any longer. For what did they deserve to see my full potential?" * It is the greatest weakness to expose unknown weaknesses unnecessarily. ** The easiest way to evade chances of this is to evade any and all that might seek to perturb or invade your mentality. Steer from unneeded interaction. Steer from humanity, and find yourself at home with yourself. * In the event that you are forced into a public scenario, it is best to hide. Hide within yourself, and act as dejected as physically conceivable, for the chances of another discovering more than they would otherwise understand might betray the whole of your being. ** The longer you remain involved with your inner self, the greater you understand the situation, as well as your mentality. It is a strength that no other can bear to know yourself as uniquely as you will. * Understand your weaknesses and strengths' every nuance, and ensure that no other can ever hope to comprehend them as you do. If this is certain, then you will always be at the certain advantage. Necromantics Depravity & the Occult It is wholly needless to say that the Grimoire supports the practice of the Occult - precisely why, however, is detailed, in text, below, written in the form of quotation from figures long since passed and locked away deep within a forgotten artefact of depraved origins. ---- Beleth: why do we resist? I stood, for a moment, but was immediately blinded thereafter by the wholesome light that shone from above. It was utterly devastating to my weakened figure, and with a mighty thump would my formerly prominent existence tumble to relative ash against a flooring below. "Beleth," I'd hear them call, their voices a murmur against the flow of blood that so overcame my thoughts. "Beleth," they'd call again, as if to ensure that I'd heard - they sought a response, I knew. They wanted me to repent. They wished for my submitting and slavery of opinion, but hardly did I entertain the notion. Rather than speak did I spit in mockery, blood intermixing briefly with saliva to patter against the stone at my side. "Beleth," they called for a final, third time, seeming to disregard my action and proceeding needlessly with their speech of petty proportion. "You have found yourself at the behest of a council whom deems you a fiend, yet still do you resist. Still do you see yourself above," they uttered forth, my ears ringing with the pains of holy magic abound and their despicably pure voices, as well, reverberating through the near atmosphere. "Why do you not submit? Death lies ahead, and you understand this. There is nothing left for you in the world of the living. If nothing else, see to it that the afterlife is a forgiving land, at least, towards your absolute malice." I thought - of course, it was hard to think, what with the surroundings as well as inherent instability, though I knehew well enough what my answer would prove to be. I knew it from the very beginning of it all, really, and I knew, too, that they were inherently wrong. My legacy had yet to even begin. "Because there will be another." ---- The Faults of Mortality "But what reason is there to live for an endless age?", she inquired, partly furious as a result of due confusion. "What are you doing!?" In truth, I wasn't so sure myself, though the desire was nevertheless there. It nagged me. I was a cripple; not always, but now, the word fit better than ever. Age had riddled me with needless injury, leaving me incapable of the combat experiences I had once adored. It left me weak, and without strength. "I don't know," I replied half-truthfully. And, really, I was aware of the terms of what I'd been offered. I was aware of the suffering of depravity and the faults of the immortal. I was aware that I'd likely fall to insanity, eventually, as well as darkness... But it was my mortality that drove me to immortality. It was the fact that I suffered through so much pain as a result of my elderly figure that my willpower broke down. Could I really be blamed for such a thing? Could I be blamed for turning to alternative methods? I was in so much pain. An eternity alive seemed better than a second spent dying. I knew I was weak-minded. I knew that I could surely resist if I tried hard enough - but I couldn't. And, as time progressed with such great suffering, Kraus' own imperfections became clear. If he'd allotted a greater lifespan, or a clear method of livelihood through the ages, none would feel this sort of torment! The books and tomes said He put in place such regulations so that Man might not grow too strong, or too wise, and bridge the path from pure to corrupt more easily. But I could resist! Besides, what would a surplus of power do to harm the world? I would be strong, if not for the ravages of time, truly, and the befuddlement that formerly took hold of my mind was thusly erased. I knew what had to be done! And, despite her denial and rejection, I would see it so. She kept saying no, but I failed to understand why. Was I not important to her? Did she not understand my struggles of mortality? She agreed with Kraus' convictions, after all, whilst I did not. And I grew angrier, more impatient with every passing moment. "Sit still," I shouted in frustration. "I've made my choice." My dagger plunged downwards to pierce the body of my wife, ending her life and extending my own without any slight limit. I, naturally, prepared to fend off the corruption that was rumored to follow. ---- Azrael "... and what of Azrael?" "Azrael?", I returned, an inquisitive glare beaming forwards, as if it might dissect my opposite. "Why, he's the fiend! He's the scapegoat." "The scapegoat?", he queried. "Yes, a scapegoat. His goals are hardly any worse than some of the more human entities' we've set eyes upon, yes? He's merely a perhaps-twisted individual set with a plethora of abilities and a particular abundance of power," I uttered, nodding once to assure my words. "You're not entirely wrong, but you still haven't answered my implication. What do you mean by 'scapegoat?'", the shrouded man continued. Persistent, to say the very least, though I hardly minded. "Well, he is as I said - no more than a usual sort of slight evil-doer with his power amplified a million-fold. And even then," I muttered, telling the tale we all knew so well boring me, somewhat. "Even then, he failed to succeed; destined for absolute failure, and destined to serve as scapegoat for Kraus. Where you could say Kraus has done vile things..." "Azrael has done worse," my partner, of sorts, replied. He was getting the idea, at least! "But not the worst. Yes, I understand - he sought for the rebirth of humanity rather than something far more decrepit." "Yes! And it is for that that we see him as nothing more than just that - a scapegoat. He is not an idol, nor a being for the truly Occultic to admire. Those who follow absolute destruction," I pronounced, standing up to tower over my still-seated cohort. "Well, those who follow absolute destruction know that there is no exception to that rule. No rebirth. No excuses. No pardons." "Not even for friends?" "Not even for friends."